24 | SUMMER 2020 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie
RISING STAR
SÍOFRA O'SHEA
By DECLAN ROONEY
A
s an 18-year-old, Síofra O'Shea has already
achieved so much on the sports fields but she is
especially keen to return to inter-county action
this year to tick a long-term goal off her list.
Two years ago the Southern Gaels player was named
Munster Young Player of The Year by the LGFA. This
acknowledgement came on the back of a stunning season
playing with the Kerry U16s, a campaign that was halted
at the final hurdle by an excellent Galway outfit.
Two years earlier her All-Ireland Final dreams were
ended by Kildare in the U14 Final, and now, with that team
back together again at Minor, O'Shea is desperate to see
the season resumed.
Sīofra's Star Continues
to Rise from the Kingdom
"Our U16 team was a great team. We had lost the U14
All-Ireland Final to Kildare, but two years later we won the
Munster U16 Final and we ended up playing Kildare in the
All-Ireland Semi-Final," said O'Shea.
"That game was very tight, it went to extra-time and
we ended up winning it and just coming out of that. That
game I scored 3-13 and we thought then that no one was
going to stop us after we had knocked out the team that
had beaten us in the U14 final.
"When we got to the final it was another very tight game
again. It went to extra-time too and Galway got the better
of us there.
"It's very tough to lose a final like that. We got off to a
very good start in the All-Ireland Final and it was all going
our way, but Galway brought it back at the end of the